Dining Table Collaboration

We’ve said it before, combining our skills to create original collaborations is one of our favorite parts of the work we do. This custom dining table with benches was a special project we designed and built.

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The bases are, of course, forged steel. The tops are walnut, made by our friend, local woodworker Lee DiJospeh. A line of mosaic inlay in blue, green, and gold extends in a continuous curved arc across the tops of both benches and the table itself.

Kyle first created a maquette, or preliminary model, of the table leg to see how his ideas worked in the real world. He and his team then built the bases to all three pieces. The table base is designed with folded steel legs. A trestle of two mirrored arcs is tenoned into the legs. The bench bases are a simpler curved steel shape that compliments the curves in the table base.

Once Lee finished making the walnut top, he carved a line across the tops of all three pieces for the mosaic inlay. Johannah then created a line of mosaic that flows from dark to light blue, light green to dark, and back again, continuously across all three tops. The inlay waterfalls over the edges for a satisfyingly finished feel.

This custom dining set is available! If you’re interested in this unique and original handmade dining room table set, reach out for more information.

Fireplace Accessories

Fireplace accessories are such a natural fit for blacksmithing. After all, the tools are really just nicer, more finished versions of the tools we use every day. And we’re intimately familiar with creating safe environments around fire. Here are a few recent examples of custom pieces we’ve made.

First up are two modern built-in fire screens. This style is custom fit to the interior of the fire place, as opposed to a stand-alone fire screen that is set in front of the fireplace. These two are quite similar to each other, and we love how well they fit with the different styles of the two clients.

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Next up is a set of fireplace tools and stand inspired by the client’s 18th century dragon fire screen. Our friend, jewelry artist Robin Grabinska, carved the prototypes for the tool handles and stand feet. We forged the tools and stand, and shipped the set off to the client’s home in Belgium. A fun one for sure!

Custom Bookshelves in Two Flavors

The last year has been a big one for Phoenix Handcraft. After years of dreaming and saving and looking, we finally found a home on property with enough space for our studios. We moved into the house late last summer and spent the winter and early spring building out our studios. We’ll have more on that later, but for now, let’s catch up on some of our projects!

First up are two sets of custom forged steel bookshelves in two distinct styles. The top set features fairly traditional steel brackets with walnut shelves made by our friend and frequent collaborator, Christina Boy.

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The second set of custom bookshelves is created in a more minimal, modern style from textured steel with glass shelves.

Stay tuned as we add more projects in the next few weeks and months! We’re looking forward to spending the summer getting caught up.